BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Junior guard Dimetri Iafrate (Johnston, R.I.) scored 23 points to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team over Bridgewater College (Va.), 65-56, to capture the Dr. Carol V. De Costa/Go 4 the Goal Tournament Championship hosted by Medgar Evers College at Cougars Cave in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The Lyons have won three of their last four games and improve to 8-3 on the season, while the Eagles drop to 5-5.
Iafrate was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player and Wheaton senior forward Eoin Morrissey (Watertown, Mass.) was selected for the All-Tournament Team.
The Lyons shot 44.6% (25-56) for the game, while holding Bridgewater to just 37.1% (23-62) and a paltry 26.9% (7-26) from three-point range.
Iafrate was 8-12 from the floor, including 3-5 from three-point range and added three rebounds, seven assists and five steals for Wheaton, while Morrissey netted 14 points on 6-11 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds, handed out three assists and blocked a shot. Sophomore forward Rex Zadrozny (Cumberland, R.I.) chipped in with 13 points on an efficient 6-8 from the field, pulled down five rebounds and dished out an assist.
Sophomore guard Kyren Smith (Durham, N.C.) led the Eagles with 13 points, four rebounds and an assist, while junior guard Jahmir Brown (Charlotte, N.C.) netted 11 points on 5-9 from the floor to go with three rebounds, three assists and a steal. Senior guard Maleek Richardson (Richmond, Va.) contributed with 10 points, six rebounds, a steal and an assist and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Smith knocked down a jumper to pull Bridgewater even at 5-5, but the Lyons went on a 12-3 run, fueled by seven points from Iafrate, to give them the lead for good at 17-8 with 10:27 showing in the first half. Zadrozny later bumped Wheaton's lead to 10 at 24-14 with a layup at the 5:41 mark of the opening session.
The Eagles ripped off six unanswered points, including five from junior forward Mous Diop (Raleigh, N.C.), to cut the deficit to 24-20 with 3:31 to go in the half, but the Lyons roared back with eight straight points, capped by a three-pointer from sophomore guard Sean Perri (West Roxbury, Mass.) to give Wheaton a 32-20 lead at the intermission.
Zadrozny put down a dunk just 1:22 into the second half to give the Lyons a 34-23 advantage. Bridgewater put together an 11-4 stretch, led by seven points from Brown, to pull the Eagles to within 38-34 with 13:17 remaining in the contest. Wheaton effectively put the game out of reach with a 14-2 blitz, capped by a layup and a free throw from Zadrozny to give the Lyons their largest lead at 52-36 with 8:42 showing on the second half clock.
The Eagles clawed their way back to within single digits with a 9-2 outburst capped by a trifecta from junior guard Javon Jenkins (Fayetteville, Ga.) to cut the difference to 54-45 with 6:45 left in the contest. Iafrate later buried a trey of his own to increase Wheaton's advantage to 61-47 with 2:43 showing, before Bridgewater closed out the game with a 9-4 stretch to make it 65-56.
The Lyons return to the court on Wednesday, January 7 when they travel to New London, Conn. to take on United States Coast Guard Academy at 5:30 p.m. in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play, while the Eagles host Marymount University on January 3 at 2:00 p.m.
